Anti-Facist Art of Ting

Ting Tran aka @artofting is a bad ass. She is an artist, community organizer, dog mom, activist, and doesn't deal with bullshit. You can see her on insta sharing and organizing fundraisers for people in need, speaking out against racist/facist/oppressive Amerikkka, and wearing red hot "Abolish ICE" booty shorts and high heels that have a communist hammer and sickle she hand-painted on the side of them. What's not to love? Was stoked when she was down to let me interview her and find out more.

How would you describe yourself and your perspective on life and politics?

I have changed so much throughout my life, but what has always remained constant is feeling like an outsider. I grew up in the burbs in a very conservative town; no one wanted to be my friend (thankfully lol). I don't mean feeling like an "outsider" in a bad way either - I just feel like no one will fully understand what goes on in my head (but maybe everyone feels like that lol). As I'm developing politically and learning to accept parts of myself, I feel like I'm slowly finding my comrades and community which feels nice and less lonely :). My perspective on life - this too has changed so much! Believe it or not, I work in corporate Amerikkka *gag*. I bought that lifestyle when I first graduated college; now I know it's all bullshit lol. I believe we should be working towards a life without capitalism and revolved around communal care, happiness, taking care of the Earth, and repairing the harm (if possible) inflicted on the most marginalized communities.

Where are your ancestors from and how has this influenced your life?

My family is Chinese but have many cultural influences due to diaspora. My dad's side migrated generations ago to Vietnam. My mom's side migrated to Cambodia. So I think I'm what they call Ethnic Chinese Cambodian Vietnamese??? I eat lit ass food, and I was hella confused on what to say growing up when someone asked me "WhErE r U fRoM?!?" Now I know the answer is to shut the fuck up and mind your own business lol. Definitely lots of history that I look to, reflect on, and critically analyze, especially pertaining to the various communist revolutions in China, Vietnam, and Cambodia. We have a rich history of fighting against imperial, Western forces that I believe is ingrained in my spirit. I saw on insta you are selling your paintings for a fundraiser you put together. What is the fundraiser for who are you collaborating with to make it happen?

Yes! I'm working with my comrade on this! So as of now, I'm selling a bunch of my art to start building the fund. But we plan on releasing some cute shirts and stickers to support various campaigns like #FREETHEMALL (from cages) and indigenous COVID19 support. It's all DIY as fuck LOL. We are going to work with local screen printers to make it happen. Please stay tuned!

These original paintings and more can be bought via @artofting's insta!! If you are interested dm her on insta for prices/info!

What does solidarity and mutual aid mean to you?

To me solidarity is a lifelong process of building trust, learning, and taking action for others - building trust through connecting, learning about each others struggles, and showing up for each other! Mutual aid - been doing lots of that during this pandemic! Mutual aid is the exchange of resources, skills, and ideas. Mutual aid is NOT charity! It presumes the common understanding that the state and current capitalist conditions do not serve or protect us. I think political education is a super important aspect of mutual aid! How do you feel about how Georgia is handling Covid19? How are you dealing with the quarantine?

FUCK KEMP. He's a fucking snakkke. Anyways...it's hard. Dealing with my shitty full time, organizing, art, and finding time to be at peace is HARD. Can you describe communism for people who may not know much about it?

There are so many interpretations of communism (Marxism, Leninism, Maoism, anarcho-communism, etc) - but at its core - communism seeks to destroy the class structures in which the ruling class exploits the working and poor classes. Communism requires a social revolution to undo all the fuckshit capitalism has created. Many revolutionaries we know and love are/were communists or drew form communist ideas - Angela Davis, Huey Newton, Assata Shakur, Frida Kahlo! A lot of the readings from Marx and Lenin can be dry as fuck, so I would suggest reading the works from more contemporary revolutionaries. Mao's writing is really poetic and not dry. I would suggest folks to critically analyze anything you read from any of these revolutionaries because times and conditions have changed, so what may be something that worked back then, might not work today. It is important to understand the relationship between our structural/systemic conditions and our material conditions.

What are some people/sites/pages doing community work right now? Are there any fundraisers or people in need of funds/resources you can share?

METRO-ATLANTA MUTUAL AID (MAMA) FUND - Funds are targeted towards Black, Indigenous, and people of color. JUSTICE 4 ALL COALITION - Cash App: $Justice4Homeless - Centers work around homelessness, criminal justice system, addiction, sex trafficking, prostitution, low level drug offenses, survival sex work, petty crimes and the death penalty BAJI GEORGIA COVID-19 POST-RELEASE SUPPORT - Assisting released folks from detention by providing desperately needed support services, including communication and language access, cash assistance and resources for food, housing, medical care, transportation and other needs. COVID-19 FUNDRAISER: $50K TO SUPPORT UN(DER)DOCUMENTED NEIGHBORS - Goal to raise $50,000 to cover the financial hardships of the over 3000 households with at least one undocumented member in Athens Clarke County who are ineligible for any federal or state assistance

I always see you eating bomb food on your stories. What is some of your fav food to make?

I'm simple when it comes to food! I like to make curries, dumplings (LOL FROZEN), kimchi fried rice, rice + any vegetarian protein. Just season your shit right and you're golden. I love fermented, briney, and pickled foods. What are some of your fav instagram pages right now?

@TheComradeCloset @Subversive.Thread @vrye @urdoingreat Always posting fire ass content I have always admired your style. What are some of your favorite pieces you own?

LOL my quarantine styles are def more chill. In general, I love my abolish ice shorts, berets, baggy pants, and thrifted shit. I have so much clothes tbh, it's hard for me to pick specific things.

How could people start embarking on more community work? How did you get started in organizing?

It's actually kinda hard to get plugged into the work you actually care about and meet the right people and organizations. Local work is so important; books and knowledge don't mean shit til you work for the community. You just need to connect with activists and community and take the initiative to join a meeting and see if you fuck with the mission. Quarantine makes it a lil hard, but it's possible! Join that zoom call and ask questions. Instagram is actually pretty good :) I've met so many comrades on there lol. What would your dream world look like? How do you think we could get there?

A world without prisons, police, capitalism, and white supremacy! A world where people do shit to help each other and not for money. ORGANIZE YOUR COMMUNITY! EDUCATE OTHERS! ALWAYS BE OPEN TO LEARNING AND GROWING YOURSELF. Do you have hope?

"You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time." - Angela Davis If you happened to see Donald Trump walking down the street what would you say to him?

Death to Amerikkka lol What is your venmo/cashapp/paypal?

Cash App: $artofting Any last words/quotes/thoughts??

Thanks for the interview :)!